


A Heart's A Heavy Burden

by mtwalker



Category: Howl's Moving Castle - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M, Howl's Moving Castle AU, The plot definitely changes around the end, so hopefully I'm not too predictable
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:28:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28064721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mtwalker/pseuds/mtwalker
Summary: Jasper is cursed by a wizard and goes on a journey to break the spell, making new friends along the way.
Relationships: Alice Cullen/Jasper Hale
Comments: 10
Kudos: 7





	1. A Strange Encounter

Jasper pressed the last of his folded shirts into the old leather suitcase, running his hands across them one final time before snapping it shut. The dull “W” on the front stared back at him, reminding him of all the times he’d watched his father lug the heavy thing around the house from closet to closet, telling Jasper how he’d bought it right before he’d gone off to war as a young man. Now, years later, it was Jasper’s turn to leave, infantry training inching ever closer as the days passed. 

Jasper would be lucky enough to become a soldier when they were on the brink of war. Rumors had been spreading of one of the Voltori prince’s going missing, and if there was any weight to them, it would lead to some form of retaliation from Volterra. The thought made Jasper nervous. He was content to follow in his father’s footsteps, of course, but he would prefer it in a time of peace. As would most, he assumed.

He sighed, standing up and pulling on his tattered brown jacket. Another relic of his father’s from years past. He knew his sister would make a comment about it, but it was starting to get chilly outside, so he couldn’t avoid it much longer. He’d promised to visit her before leaving, and his train pulled out tomorrow. 

He locked the door behind him, pulling the coat tighter around him as he headed through the crowded streets. His younger sister, Charlotte, owned a diner across town. It was incredibly successful, a fact that made him swell with pride. The diner was her dream, and her and her husband, Peter, made sure it was run to perfection. Charlotte had always been very determined, willing to do anything to chase down her dreams. He admired that about her. He, as the oldest, had a much easier time of falling into place. He was the one to take over the family name. The one to carry on their father’s legacy.

All around him were words of gossip, most of which he already knew. There was talk about Volterra, of course. The princes were often discussed, especially now that one had apparently gone missing. Apparently there was a new topic of conversation amongst the rest of the crowd. 

“Did you see it? It was moving through the fog this morning!”

“Oh, it was just your imagination.”

“No! I definitely saw her castle!”

The witch, Alice. Jasper had been hearing rumors about her for years, most of which he chose to ignore. They said she was a sight to behold, the truest form of beauty. They also said she devoured the hearts of the lovers she took, which seemed like a rather large downside no matter how pretty she happened to be. Jasper figured that if he ever met this Alice, he would just turn the other way. He’d like to keep his heart, thank you. Not that he would draw the attention of anything as exciting as a beautiful witch in the first place. 

He slid out of the crowd and down a narrow alleyway. He’d been taking the back streets for so long that he passed through effortlessly, knowing exactly where to go to avoid crossroads and crowded spots. He didn’t expect, however, the three women who seemed to appear out of the shadows beside him. He pulled to a halt, watching them in surprise.

“Can I help you all?”

“Oh, isn’t he a polite one?” the tallest of them said, inching closer to him. He went to step back, but was pressed against a wall.

“You’re frightening him, Maria dear.” the smaller girl giggled.

“I rather like him when he’s scared. Don’t you?” She reached up, running a long nail down his chest.

“My apologies, but I really must be going…”

“Oh, stay awhile. It’s been so long since we’ve had a proper plaything.” Their smiles grew wide in unison, making his hair stand on end.

“I-”

“Oh, there you are, dear.” A small hand wrapped around his arm, making him nearly jump out of his skin. Standing at his side, barely above his elbow, was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She had wide, brown eyes and short hair that curled at the ends, framing her face like some mythical creature he had read stories about long ago. He just watched her, wide eyed, unable to form words. 

“We were talking here.” The woman in front, Maria, Jasper recalled, was clearly annoyed with this girl's sudden appearance.

“Oh, really? It looked like you all were leaving.” She flicked a long, thin finger and the three straightened up, turning on their heels and heading down the alley. The strange girl giggled, patting his arm lightly. “Oh, don’t hold it against them. I doubt they’re all that bad.”

Before he could say anything, she pulled him further down the alley.

“Where are-”

“Shh!” she interrupted him, winking. “I’m being followed. Just act natural.”

Jasper stiffened, trying to fight the urge to look over his shoulder. Followed? It would be just like him to jump from one bad situation into a worse one. But it was hard for him to be too disappointed with this woman on his arm, a wide smile on her face and a skip in her step. She just radiated confidence in a way that made Jasper feel like even if everything went wrong, she would find a way out of it. 

He saw hooded figures move quickly down a side street they passed, making him tense up.

“Ooo! We’ve been spotted! How exciting!” His eyes shot to the woman, ready to inform her that, no, this was  _ not _ exciting, when she pushed off the ground, rocketing them upwards. 

He was man enough to admit that he definitely yelped, the two of them hovering in the air as the hooded figures all scrambled to try and grab them. The mysterious woman just giggled, squeezing his hand and pulling him along.

“Alright, now just straighten your legs and follow my lead.”

Jasper did as he was told, attempting to step lightly over  _ nothing. _ By some miracle, it worked. The two of them were floating over the town square, the hundreds of people below unaware of their presence. He stared down in awe, marveling at how small everything looked from up here. He could see his sisters shop just below, the specks of flowers all along the windows. 

They landed on the upper balcony, the girl dusting off her skirt. “I’ll make sure to lead them in the other direction, so wait a bit before you leave, okay?”

Jasper just nodded, still not entirely sure what had just happened. She winked, stepping backwards off the balcony and plummeting down. He ran forward, leaning over the edge, but she was nowhere to be seen. 

  
  



	2. The Wizards Curse

After catching his breath, Jasper made his way downstairs to the communal area of Charlotte’s cafe. It was a cute little thing, with small intimate tables and a homey atmosphere that drew in customers of all kinds. Charlotte waved to him in surprise, gesturing to the small line in front of her to let him know she’d come over when she was free. He nodded back, moving to sit at a corner table. 

People had always loved Charlotte. There was something so genuine in her smile that made you feel like it was just for you. She’d had their parents wrapped around her little finger from day one. Not that Jasper minded, of course. He adored his baby sister, impressed with how easily she was able to befriend those around her in a way that he’d never been able to. Jasper was the quiet one, who was more often found in a corner with a book or patiently helping their parents with whatever chore needed to be done. 

Although Jasper was the older sibling, Charlotte had taken up protecting  _ him _ lately. She often invited him over, giving him lectures on treating himself better and following his dreams. He usually just laughed, waving off her comments easily enough before heading back home. It was the reason he’d been putting off this specific meeting. She would have a lot to say about him leaving, and he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to face that. He didn’t like arguing with her.

Charlotte finally slid into the seat opposite him, her husband taking over at the register. “Sorry about that! I didn’t expect us to be so busy today.” There was that smile. Jasper couldn’t help but smile back, waving off her comments with ease.

“Don’t worry about it, Char. I understand.”

“So, I have to ask, why did you come in from my balcony? Have you taken up scaling walls as a hobby since I last saw you?”

Jasper shook his head, leaning forward to quietly recount the journey to her. To be perfectly honest, he was still having trouble wrapping his head around the whole thing. Who was that woman? Those hooded figures? Why had she grabbed  _ him _ of all people? He had to admit, it was thrilling to have something happen  _ to _ him, rather than just around him. No that he wanted to repeat it, of course. 

“Oh, Jazz, you have to be careful!” Charlotte looked worried, glancing around the shop. “If that witch were Alice, she would have eaten your heart.”

“It’s fine, Char. Alice wouldn’t take any interest in me. Besides, I doubt I’ll ever see whoever that was again. I’ll be gone by tomorrow.”

Charlotte frowned, leaning forward to, Jasper assumed, increase the reach of her disappointment. “Do you have to go?”

“We’ve talked about this…” Jasper sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“I know, I know. But do you even want to? You’ve never shown any interest in becoming a soldier before.”

“Yeah, but Dad always talked about how important it was. The family legacy and all that.”

“Jazz, Dad’s not here anymore.” Jasper straightened up, surprised by the harshness of her words. She sighed, patting his arm. “What I mean is, you shouldn’t do things for his benefit. Do what  _ you _ want for a change. It wouldn’t hurt, you know? ”

Jasper just frowned, not knowing how to respond. There was a part of him that knew Charlotte was right. Despite how much Jasper avoided the thought, his father wasn’t around to actually enjoy his son following in his footsteps. The idea of honoring his memory was reason enough, he often told himself. But there was a small, quiet part of himself that wondered if the real reason he didn’t want to pursue anything else was out of fear. Fear that he would fail. Fear that it would all crumble around him. Fear that he would make the wrong choice and be miserable forever. No, it was better to follow the path laid out for him. 

Jasper finally left the cafe, giving his sister one last hug before starting the walk back home. It had gotten colder in the few hours he had spent inside, the wind cutting through his old jacket. He kept his head down and powered through, thoughts of warm coffee keeping him in motion. 

He hated seeing the disappointment on Charlotte’s face, but he knew he would hate not seeing her more. His sister had been a near constant fixture in his life. The thought that he would spend the next few years barely seeing her ate at him. She liked to joke about how “soft” he was, but in truth it was an accurate assessment. Jasper had always been caring, sometimes to a fault. He’d loaned people money that had never been paid back, had let others borrow things they had no intention of returning. His sister was always the one over his shoulder, stopping him from getting into more trouble than was worth. His “bleeding heart” she had always called it. How would it fare in a war, he wondered.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice the man in the long black coat walking past him. Their shoulders collided, and Jasper stumbled a little but continued down the path. He heard the man behind him clear his throat.

“I think the word is ‘Sorry,’ you dirty rat.” Jasper ignored the comment, pulling his jacket a little tighter. He just needed to get home. It wasn’t worth an argument.

A firm hand grabbed a hold of his shoulder, pinning him in place. “I said,'' a voice growled in his ear, making a shiver run down his spine, “you owe me an apology.” Without thinking, Jasper spun on his heel and slammed his fist into the man's jaw. He went stumbling back, landing flat on his ass. Jasper took a deep breath to calm himself, but felt it catching in his throat when he realized the other man was grinning. The man on the ground looked up at him, using the heel of his hand to wipe at the blood on the corner of his mouth.

“Punching the Wizard of the Wastes, huh? How  _ brave _ of you.”

Jasper felt his whole body tense, like he was frozen to the spot. His eyes flicked back to the wizard, who was now on his feet again. The other man thrust his hands towards Jasper, the force throwing him back and knocking the air out of him. He groaned, attempting to pull himself up, but his back was suddenly incredibly sore. He must’ve hit the ground harder than he thought. Once he was finally in a sitting position, he moved to push himself off the ground and noticed a wrinkly old hand.  _ His _ wrinkly old hand.

“The nice thing about that curse is that you can’t tell anyone about it.” The Wizard chucked, turning on his heels. Before Jasper could call after him, he was gone. 

  
  



End file.
